Kyuubi no Kyoudai
by Ryuuachi
Summary: For every century a kitsune lives out, they grow one tail and become a Kyuubi when they reach a millennia. If a kitsune can have 4-5 cubs in a year and only one or two survives, how many survive in a century? Some suggestive content, rated PG-13


I've recently found the idea of Kyuubi no having a life before being a dreaded bijuu to be intriguing. And I partially wanted to try making a story about the backgrounds of the bijuu and so I decided to focus on Kyuubi, being the oldest of them and by far the most popular of topics in fan fiction and the series when it comes to bijuu as far as I can tell. This story along with another are part of a Birthday gift I'm not giving myself but to the audience, figured it be pleasant to give something on my birthday than to receive.

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Japanese Mythology, or else I would have had an easier time researching for this story. This takes place long before the shinobi villages came to be, back when yokai, oni, ningen, and man lived at the same time…

Here's some kitsune terms to know; nogitsune – field fox, binogitsune – multi-tailed field fox, Myobu; Inari fox, also guardian fox

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_Hi no kuni is named not for the climate as many foreigners would believe, but for the vast forests that decorated the vast land between its few mountains and valleys. It is also named after the element of the numerous kitsunes who called the forests home, both the noble myobu and the mischievous nogitsune, not including the average kitsune. Travelers and diplomats are warned to be careful when traveling to Hi no kuni as the nogitsune of her numerous forests are far more powerful tricksters than the average kitsune. Unlike nogitsune of other countries, they are far more daring in their pranks and tricks which they play on humans and, given the opportunity, myobu as well. Shrine workers and caretakers will suffer through their purses forced to buy new brooms and rice to replace the ones that were broken or stolen. One of the more embarrassing as well as injuring, in terms of pride and reputation, tricks of the nogitsune plays on the natural skill of all kitsune, seduction. Fathers and mothers find their sons drawn to the nogitsune in their female disguise, entranced by their eyes, their perfect beauty, and their rich words. They might try to warn their children to the nogitsune's true purpose and will eventually manage to chase them off, yet no sooner will they chase one off that they will return to their homes to become victims of yet another nogitsune. It matters little if the child isn't a young man; neither man nor woman is safe from a nogitsune's seduction, even the scholars can be fooled by the more powerful and skilled nogitsune. On the uncommon occasion when a myobu is sent to take care of a nogitsune band or a particular nogitsune, the result of the myobu's mission is always hard to predict. Some might spend days or weeks tracking down the nogitsune and dealing with them according to their crimes, while the more experienced and skilled find the nogitsune in a matter of days. However, they do not always meet with success and there are tales of skilled myobu who have caught the nogitsune responsible, only to fall prey to the nogitsune's skills in seduction just as the victims did. Shrine workers can also become victims of seduction when they meet a beautiful young woman and be fooled into going to bed with them, only to wake up the next morning naked and without any money in the middle of a field close to the village. The more infamous and less numerous of the tricksters are the binogitsune, centuries older than even the most infamous of the one tailed nogitsune. _

_A pack of myobu will come if the criminal nogitsune is one of the binogitsune, rarely have I heard of a binogitsune ever caught even when facing a myobu as old as they are. Despite the numerous sightings of a binogitsune, they are in fact, quite few in number, but they are far more powerful than their younger brothers and sisters, one binogitsune alone can seduce an entire village under their control. After they grow bored or the villagers come to their senses the village will be unable to catch the binogitsune who will have escaped right under their noses. Even when the village seems to have caught the binogitsune, they will disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye. They are most infamously known as bane of the nobility in particular, seducing the sons and even princes into marrying them, only to reveal themselves later and still escape punishment. While kitsunes are all known to be skilled in seduction, many of us scholars have noticed that vixens are not the only ones hated and despised for their seduction. Males are also confirmed to take part in the pranks as well, though they take more pleasure in seducing the daughters of nobles, returning often to annoy the fathers while their daughters would fall again for the handsome binogitsune._

_One binogitsune in particular has come to the courts attention, infamous for his numerous exploits and lovers he has taken as well as the large price on his head for his capture. This binogitsune is a native of Hi no Kuni, and is the subject of many petitions, all of which call for the capture of the infamous seducer yet all who have tried, even many myobu, have failed to capture this menace to civilized society. I have searched for many weeks for more information about this menace and though I have managed to confirm the truth of his many exploits, alas I have no description of him other than he is very intelligent and takes on the appearance of anyone from a mere child to a irresistible woman. _

_There is one story however, that I am proud to have confirmed. I will not reveal the names of the parties who were wronged, but I will reveal the name of the infamous binogitsune, in hope that others will be able to guard themselves against him. While he has not given away his name in other exploits, the particulars and success of this exploit pleased the binogitsune greatly, and he gave his name to my source out of pride in his victory and escape, which I would stake my reputation on to be true; Youko. _

"I am not sure whether I should take this as an insult or a complement," A light-hearted giggle brought the reader's attention back to reality, away from the book that was in hand. "And what does my dear beautiful lover think if I may be so bold as to ask?"

The owner of the second voice giggled again before a pair of beautiful delicate arms made their way in the darkness towards the reader, wrapping around a warm toned stomach. "I think that his grandson would disagree with Youko being the binogitsune's name."

A small chuckle from the reader marked an agreement before the reader twisted around in the arms and began to place soft delicate kisses on the other's neck. For some time the pair did not speak, though the sounds of a woman's satisfied moans showed that they were moving. The moans stopped for a moment followed by a softer moan then a louder sigh as a door slid opening letting in the light from the rising sun. Beside the door was a tall young man wearing almost nothing but his pants and a smile, his short orange hair an oddity when he stood beside other young men, all of which had long hair. Yet, none of them possessed the dark red eyes of the young man standing in the doorway of the balcony, none of the same intensity that he possessed as he gazed across the horizon. Intensity that only a mere fraction of samurai and shinobi could ever muster more than once in their lifetime, yet even as he let out a deep heavy sigh and his gaze softened, the intensity still remained. He paused for a moment allowing the sun's rays to warm his body for a moment before he looked back in on the room and his partner, her body warm with the afterglow of their activities.

She had red long hair that pooled over her shoulders and down her chest, hiding herself slightly from his intense eyes. Yet one look at her eyes caused the intensity to extinguish, leaving behind only smoldering ashes that still burned with lingering heat. He lost count of how many times that she had brought out his gentle side with those dazzling emeralds of hers, how many nights he had been content just to lose himself in those cool emerald fields. So lost in thought that he would feel his natural tension whenever he seduced someone slip away, causing him to loosen his focus on his appearance and reveal some of his true appearance. The young woman noticed his six large tails and the orange ears sticking up out of his head, yet the kitsune just seemed to grow more irresistible to her with his ears and tails now in plain sight. Noticing his ears perk up as she giggled gave her joy that she could make him react in such a way even if by accident. He noticed her joyful smile, flashing her a bright foxy smile at her while his eyes started to be drawn to the unlocked beauty that she possessed that he knew would never fade away even when she grew older. The intensity returned causing the young woman to trace his gaze out of curiosity only to remember her current state of undress and she moved to cover herself out of embarrassment at his heated gaze.

"Ah kitsune-chan, you're looking at me with those eyes again!" Her arms went up to cover herself but instead were held back by a pair of strong yet gentle hands while warm breath traveled across the nape of her neck. The young man smirked a little at the blushing young beauty in his arms, drawing out even more affection towards as he began to place soft gentle kisses all along her neck to her shoulder causing her body to shiver against his chest. Despite the open door and the chance that someone from the fields might see them; the young woman could not help but enjoy the affection he gave her. Each time he kissed her, she would let out a soft moan of satisfaction at the feel of his lips on her skin, so tender and soft, yet so passionate and strong. "Kitsune-chan…"

Any thoughts or protests she might have had died away as soon as she felt one of his tails wrap around her waist passively yet she could only marvel at the soft feel of his fur on her skin. She turned her head enough to gaze down slightly at the one who gave showered her with his affection, allowing herself to ignore her worries and focus on the warmth she felt from the touch of his lips on her skin. The one thought replacing her worries now was to feel the warmth of his lips on her own as if the warmth and feel of them would satisfy her forever. He seemed to sense her thoughts for at that moment he stopped kissing neck and lifted his head up so that his eyes could once again meet with hers. All of his kitsune features that were visible even the whisker marks on his cheek didn't seem to matter to her, except that she wanted him even more because he was different from other men. Not just because he was a kitsune, but because he alone was different than anyone she had ever met before and did not see her as just a human or a future wife, but a living being. Whatever further thoughts they might have had, as they stared into each other's eyes were swept away to make way for the storm of passion about to be unleashed though one of his tails extended a small invisible arm out to the door handle, closing it in one swift flick, giving them privacy that would soon be needed as they returned each other's happiness and joy.

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Several kitsunes played within the open meadow without fear of hunters, traps, or any predators and dogs. Not because of their numbers, they weren't strong or unusual either. Most of them had the standard dark brown or bright red coats and just one tail, though one of the smaller and energetic kitsunes had two tails. Yet despite the meaning of the second tail, none of the kitsunes who played showed any signs of respect or disrespect to the older vixen. In fact, many of the young kits were trying to pounce on the tips. Every time one would get close, she would smile and the tail would catch the would-be attacker, tickling them into submission. Aside from the nibi, the only other difference in the vixen was small necklace hanging down holding a set of beads dangling from brightly colored bits of string. Some of the kits would make their way underneath her entranced by the shiny objects and try to catch one though none could. The kits were not alone though, several older kitsunes could be seen with one tail though their eyes shined with the light of wisdom and experience. A few had two tails with one of the nibi vixens sitting beside a gray sanbi kitsune, and a pair of yonbi kitsune sitting across from them with a more focused look and serious feel to them. Both sat straight up like guards spending their time watching the kits play with the others, pausing every moment to look around then turn their attention back to the kits.

"I wonder why she hasn't found herself a mate yet." The question was directed to one of the other vixens by a nibi vixen who had been watching the nibi playing with the kits. While the parents held the air of wisdom as well as experience of the world, the nibi among the kits lacked the same air that one sees in adults. She showed no signs in her behavior and play that held the feel of an adult; knowledge of the world, a developed sense of perception and image which comes with accepting reality and most of all, a matured state of mind that holds very few lingering childlike thoughts such as playing with kitsune cubs. In its place was the curious mind of a child, the pure perception of an untouched heart, and an innocence that has yet to evolve into maturity as she gathered underneath a speedy dragonfly that had caught the younger kitsunes' attention with his compound eyes and strange body.

"Just because she's the same age doesn't mean that her mind is like ours."

"She's right of course. While we all grew up working for our tails, she just had to wait and enjoy her life…"

The sanbi kitsune sent a stern glare at the last speaker who wilted underneath his gaze. All conversation amongst the group ceased when they heard the sanbi's low quick growl that had accompanied his glare at the speaker. None of them dared to make a sound out of respect for the older kitsune as well as the consequences of interrupting the wisest of them in blind foolishness.

"You are mistaken in your swift judgment of Nozomi-sama is clouded by your envy and jealousy of her good fortune that you cannot see the truth. She is blessed to have Hoshihime as her kaa-san, and what's more that she has two strong kyoudai to watch over her." The kitsunes all nodded to themselves in recognition of the truth of his words though one of them smirked at the sanbi. She was a nibi vixen with a white streak in the middle of her back, and her mate just shook his head anticipating another comment from her. And as he anticipated, she did open her mouth and speak again.

"Strange, I have not seen either one today, only her kaa-san's retainers. But perhaps they are just late today caught up in one of their many pranks, or in the oniisan's case, another onna's bed…"

"My oniisan has been with no one but my giri no shimai, his honsai, Taiyoume-san and no other person for the past three months," The adult kitsunes as well as the two yonbi kitsunes all seemed to rise up for a moment though the two yonbi kneeled down a second later as a young man appeared out of the forest before them. He looked like most young man with long black hair wearing a semi-formal white hakama over a black kimono though not as loose or baggy as was commonly seen. Other than the fact that he was younger than most men due to his height, there seemed to be no special quality to him, except for the pair of yellow eyes where brown ones should have been. A brilliant, breathtaking, exotic shade of yellow that no ningen, yokai, or rei could ever find in their lifetimes, the luminous haunting yellow of the brief life of true twilight before the sun rose up from the horizon. Such a color that even the nibi addressed as Taiyoume-san could not help but gasp when she looked upon the youth's eyes and not see the slight undercurrent of anger that gave them a slight darker color. "However, I will forgive you of your brief lapse in sanity though I am not sure he will give you the same offer when he learns of your opinion about his beloved honsai."

Realization and horror filled her face and body as she pictured a pair of burning bloodthirsty crimson red eyes watching as she was burned to ashes. She quickly sputtered out a promise to stay silent for the next two months before hiding behind her mate who sighed before one of the vixens suggested they go see their kits for a while. As soon as she got up and followed the rest of the vixens the young man smiled at the others and walked over to the small hill the others were currently sitting at and joined them. One by one each of the kitsune's bodies seemed to fade away, replaced a young man with kitsunes ears, tails, eyes and whiskers though for some they had whisker marks instead. The sanbi was replaced by an older man with graying hair and gray ears as well as tail just as his fur had been when he was in his kitsune form.

All of the nibi vixens followed suit while the rest remained in their kitsune form for a little while longer until the two yonbi kitsunes were replaced by a pair of sentries both wearing the standard armor of a samurai rather than a bodyguard. One of them reached behind their backs then returned with a beautiful spear in hand while the other reached between two of her tails and pulled out a bow which she placed over her chest before joining her companion in a kneeling stance beside him. The nibi kitsune had transformed into a young two whisker marked girl not a centimeter taller than the others even with her ears though her two tails stood amongst the single tails of the others.

With a nod to himself upon seeing the rest of the vixens change as well, the young man closed his eyes for a moment and a pair of black fox ears appeared on top of his head followed by five black tails. Before he could relax though, a red blur shot towards him as if to hit him only to reveal itself as the nibi girl who giggled as the young man looked down at her in his arms. "Have we been getting into trouble today Nozomi-kun or have I been misinformed?"

"No Shinshi onii-chan, that bakahime deserved it!" The nibi giggled at the older kitsune who smiled back at her, then scratched her ear causing her to giggle even more. She soon stopped though only to give him a quick hug which he returned with a brotherly kiss to her forehead before letting her go back to play with the other kitsunes. Even though they all looked ningen, the kitsunes still jumped around and pounced on each other's visible tails without a care with Nozomi helping the young kitsunes who had not changed by carrying them in her arms. Her brother smiled at the sight of Nozomi carrying the kitsunes around like a mother, all of whom enjoyed the sight as well and whispered amongst each other.

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All of the kitsune returned to their prior activities after they transformed into their half human forms. Though their tails and ears were visible to each other, none of them seemed to worry about any ningen stumbling upon them nor did they worry about any priest who might walk by either. Most of the courage resulted from the presence of both the two yonbi as well as Shinshi in all of his gobi glory.

And so for the next few hours the men all talked to each other except for Shinshi who just listened to the others talking about the pranks that they have played and their victims. The younger kitsunes had begun to settle down for the most part and were now lying on their backs just staring up at the clouds as they formed different shapes. Most of the vixens were now coming back to the small hill still talking amongst themselves about their pranks and victims; for the most part they did talk about their children though only if to brag about their pranks. Some of the younger vixens close to Nozomi's age stole a few glances at her brother, giggling amongst themselves about the young haunting eyed Gobi trying to get him to sneeze. Nozomi didn't mind their chatter even though her brother was far older than most of them by more than two centuries despite his appearance. The day moved on with the children all refreshed, ready for a new round of play when the two yonbi both stiffened up while the sanbi tensed up as his ears perked up. Even Nozomi became alert just as Shinshi's ears perked up and his tails froze in place, then all of the men became alert as well, followed by the vixens and even the children were frozen waiting for the signal from their parents. It wasn't until Shinshi's tails shot up covered in blue flames that anyone moved; the vixen yonbi strung her bow in a flash and notched an arrow to it, her companion whipped his spear forward blade first, all the other vixen began to gather around the children while the men formed a small group in front of them with katana in hand. Shinshi rushed over to the yonbi guards no longer wearing his simple black clothes but more useful though still dark armor. He now had on black samurai armor over his shoulders, chest, arms, hands, legs, all over his body with the same haunting yellow color for the outline of the armor like his eyes. A design over his chest in the form of a pair of kitsune holding their hoshi no tama in their mouths which in reality connected his shoulder plates to his chest armor. Underneath his armor he wore dark luminous blue green cloth, with armor plates over tails and even a helmet that even had smaller armor plates for his ears with the final touch of a dark black mask covering his mouth with a single black chisakatana strapped to his side.

The entire meadow became silent as they all watched Shinshi's hand move to the chisakatana at his side, ready to pull out the blade in a single moment if needed. While all the male kitsunes could fight, none of them possessed true weapons, even their supposed katana that they held if a priest or miko looked at them could see the reeds that were in their hands. Yet the weapon at Shinshi's side and the weapons in the guards' hands were not illusions which their shadows could attest to as they too were in the exact shape of the originals. Some of the younger kitsunes began to whimper out of nervous impatience, yet they remained behind their mothers and Nozomi who too had changed like her brother. Though her armor was not as beautiful as Shinshi's, Nozomi's armor was more simple and lighter, a simple dark red color with a pair of wakizashi at her side along with knives tucked into pouches in her belt. Both of them were ready to charge the intruder at the first sign of movement even though all of the adults knew that the only real person that could defend them would be heavily outnumbered if there was more than one.

The gray kitsune seemed to know this all too well for as soon as Shinshi had moved, he was at his side in similar gray armor. Shinshi gave a quick glance to the gray kitsune then returned to searching the area with his hearing and smell. "If they are hunters or worse, you need to take the others and my nee-chan and run."

"You should not have to fight them alone Shinshi-sama, your life is worth much more than mine. I may not be as old as you, but I know that a kuro kitsune is much more important to our race than a nezumiiro kitsune."

"Don't," The gray kitsune stared at Shinshi is surprise at the slight almost miniscule burst of anger that flared up in him. He was confused at the older kitsune's anger not just because 

Shinshi was a pure kuro, but that he didn't care about the significance of his coat color. In fact, the more the gray kitsune thought about it, the more he noticed Shinshi's body tense up like one single muscle. "My single concern right now is keeping all of you safe, if they are more than just hunters, the others will need someone to lead them and my kaa-san's retainers are not leaders, understand? I am a warrior first and leader second, you can keep all of them safe much better than I could."

"But Shinshi-sama…" His voice was cut off by a loud cry and Shinshi unsheathed the chisakatana in a single step, placing his remaining hand around the handle before nodding to the two yonbi. "…I understand then."

"Good, I will buy you the time that you need." With one quick glance back at Nozomi who gulped, Shinshi turned back to the forest and made a dash towards the edge of the meadow. Before he could reach the edge though, he stopped in his tracks as another cry rang out of the forest much louder as if in pain. Another cry rang out followed by another and another, each one louder but shorter than the next until there was not a sound except for a single scream that died out as soon as it started. None of the kitsune dared to move, not even Shinshi who focused his yokai chakra through his body into his ears and nose increasing their range to look through the forest. The other kitsunes remained stationary while they waited for Shinshi to locate the source of each cry, hoping against all odds that who or whatever had silenced the cries was an ally.

Shinshi had begun to follow the strong scent of iron that meant hunters as miko and holy men only smelt of paper and ink. He continued to sniff the air, taking a small step closer to the forest moving his range a little further as he focused a little more chakra to his ears to detect any sounds that might help him locate their savior. At first, he could hear nothing but his own heart beat and the heartbeats of the kitsune so he began to tune them out, focusing himself to listen to the forest in front of him.

**drip-drip** Shinshi's eyes snapped open for a brief moment then closed as he reached back out with his ears. **drip-drip-drip** There was a sound, soft and almost nonexistent but it was there and he smiled underneath his mask. Channeling a third burst of yokai chakra, this time to both his ears and nose; by locating source of the soft sound of the liquid, he could then sketch the forest out as the sound waves moved through the forest until they died out. Now Shinshi had to wait this time as he located each dripping sound using his ears, then sniffed the air for even the smallest amount of moisture trying to find the scent that was coupled with the dripping sound. For an eternity searching through each individual scent he couldn't detect one hint of moisture and he began to channel a little more yokai chakra to his ears and nose to increase detection until he finally reached the source of the dripping sound. With a grin, Shinshi began to sniff the air in the direction of the sound only to be hit with an overwhelming stench that he recognized all too well, the stench of blood and death. He didn't need his enhanced hearing or smell to see the image, just by the large stench alone he could pinpoint the location of source without having to track it down.

"It was a group of hunters, kitsune-hunters, but they are dead now," Many of the kitsunes breathed a sigh of relief only for it to die in their throats when Shinshi's eyes narrowed and his body remained tense. He took a quick sniff of the air, taking in the second scent that was hidden by the stench of blood, before letting out a sudden gasp of surprise. "That can't be…"

"What thing have you discovered that startles you Shinshi-sama?"

"May we know what has caused you to turn pale?"

Shinshi snapped out of his daze long enough to nod though he found his throat dry when he tried to speak. The two yonbi waited as Shinshi seemed to pause to calm himself down, pulling his mask down then took a deep breath. When he at last seemed to regain his normal complexion, Shinshi lifted his head up though his eyes still held lingering shock in them. "The one who killed them was a kitsune."

All of the kitsune gasped at the news, the younger ones scratched their heads in confusion before one of them voiced her confusion out loud to the rest. "But aren't we unable to physically harm ningen no matter what?"

"That is what worries my onii-san, we as kitsune have rules that we must obey as do ningen and oni. Even though we are nogitsune, those who break their laws and harm us are punished by the kami in the Amatsu no Goten of Takama-ga-hara. For us as kitsune, we can lose one our tails for doing harm to a ningen physically and to lose one of our tails as nogitsune..." Nozomi did not finish her lecture because at that same moment, a red pillar of flames shot up beside Shinshi before dispersing into small embers then died away. Where the pillar had come up from was a large bear sized kitsune with six tails flowing behind them, and to the great surprise and confusion of the kitsunes, a young red haired woman wearing a dark red hakama over her blue kimono with a white fox jumping up on the back of her kimono holding a hoshi no tama in its mouth. The yonbi kitsunes moved to strike at the woman only to be met with a large wall of kitsune-bi from the rokubi kitsune who followed up with a low pitched yet loud growl as two tails wrapped themselves around the woman protectively. Some of the nibi kitsune began to conjure up small balls of kitsune-bi only for Shinshi to stop them with one of his tails, canceling the fireballs with his own kitsune-bi.

With no other choice, all of the kitsune stood down including the yonbi while Shinshi turned to the rokubi with a slight frown hidden by his mask, though now that both yonbi had lowered their weapons the rokubi was no longer growling. The woman was still wrapped up in the rokubi's tails which seemed to relax when the woman stroked one of the tails; somewhat ignoring the obvious fact of the company the pair was currently in. Shinshi noticed the affection the woman gave to the rokubi, causing him to sigh as his armor went up in flames, vanishing to reveal his previous attire, though the chisakatana still remained at his side. He turned to both of the yonbi making a sudden gesture with his tails and they nodded before backing away from them.

By now the rokubi was no longer on edge but was in fact vibrating a little from the affection. None of the older kitsunes seemed to notice including the two yonbi though the sanbi did seem to twitch his ears for a moment only to become still again. One of the kitsune's ears twitched as if they heard something just like the Sanbi's ear except that the young kitsune began to giggle. Another did the same and soon all of the younger kitsunes were giggling in an uproar, breaking the awkward silence in the meadow.

"Ne, ne Nozomi nee-san, rokubi-san is purring!"

"I thought kitsunes couldn't purr?"

"We can't? Then what is rokubi-san doing?"

"Maybe rokubi-san is chuckling about something."

A single loud barking round of laughter silenced the arguing kitsunes, causing them all to stare at the rokubi-kitsune in surprise at the light yet masculine tone the rokubi had. He stopped for a moment before his entire body went up in flames, only to be replaced with a tall orange haired young man with blazing red eyes causing Taiyoume to shriek and faint in fear. Nozomi on the other hand let out a joyous cry before running over to the orange haired man, jumping up into his waiting arms while the young woman just giggled again.

"Your nee-chan is quite energetic Yakushin-chan," The young woman's voice caught Nozomi's attention though all of the vixens and men gasped when they heard the name. All of them stared in horror expecting the rokubi turned man to attack them yet instead, he just chuckled and brought her closer to him allowing him to nuzzle into the nook of her neck. His sudden action confused them, though it was obvious to all the young vixens who all giggled while the boys just gagged. "Oh Yakushin-chan your too bold!"

"Ah, and if I recall correctly, you are not as innocent as you pretend to be my love. But you are right, and as much as I love to embarrass you, I'd better start explaining," Yakushin removed his head from her neck though he did place a gentle kiss on her brow before turning to Shinshi who was shaking his head from side to side. "Gomen ototo ano, those hunters made some comments about my Kuraime-chan and I had to show them my true colors."

Shinshi made as if to roll his eyes but instead he just sighed for a moment, then lifted his gaze up at Yakushin who was grinning from cheek to cheek and sighed again. "When I said I would like to meet your honsai onii-san, I had hoped that you had intended to invite me to a small dinner so that we could meet. Inari will not be pleased when he hears about what you did."

"He knows as well as every other kami in tengoku how far I can be pushed," Yakushin's voice grew deep and demonic as his pupils turned into slits, the whisker marks on his cheeks darkened, his nails began to grow and sharpen themselves, his fur and hair began to turn darker along with his eyes and a growl began to emerge from his throat. None of the nibi or even the yonbi was prepared to feel the subtle and miniscule amount of killer intent that rolled of Yakushin in tiny waves. It wasn't the fact that they could feel the killing intent, but that what they did feel almost brought them all to their knees. The sanbi was gasping for air while many of the young kitsunes began to whimper until Kuraime began to whisper into his ear. Her whispers though soft and inaudible, Yakushin seemed to react to them and his demonic features began to fade away until only his eyes remained their darkened color along with his hair. Shinshi took the moment to glance over his brother's attire and noticed the ring around his finger as well as the ring on Kuraime's same finger then looked back to Yakushin slowly. "They dared to even suggest **my** honsai offer herself to them for my safety; both you and kaa-san know how much I love Kuraime. If I had to go through that again, I would make the same decision that I did today, yomi be damned if I let my koibito be touched by such ningen yokai while I can do something about it."

Shinshi let out another sigh yet he nodded and only then did Yakushin's tails unwrap themselves from around her waist allowing her the opportunity to now bow to Shinshi. Yet the younger brother of her husband shook his head before she could even bend her neck forward. Instead, he embraced her and Yakushin in a massive hug, catching her by surprise at the immense strength and gentle control he seemed to have as he set them back down onto their feet.

"Yakushin onii-san, does that mean that she's…"

"Hai imouto-chan, Kuraime-chan is your new gimai!"

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Most of the older kitsunes were sitting away from Kuraime out of unease from Kuraime's presence. Some of the vixen shot a few heated glares at her back when Yakushin wasn't looking though they hesitated when Shinshi gave them a quick shake of the head. They fully decided to stop when Taiyoume shook her head and pointed to Yakushin who was now eyeing each of them with a dark red eye causing each vixen to flinch and look away in shame. Most of the men though had more respect for Yakushin and only the gray kitsune seemed to make small talk with Kuraime. All of the young kitsunes on the other hand tried to spy on Kuraime for obvious reasons, though most of the kitsunes who could not yet transform were resting in her and Nozomi's lap. The young sister to Yakushin and Shinshi was among the few kitsunes who talked to Kuraime, though the young red haired woman showed no signs of discomfort over the lack of attention. In fact, she seemed to enjoy the peace and quiet as much as the kitsunes around her did while Yakushin looked on with a smile on his face standing beside his younger brother across from his honsai.

Both kitsunes watched as one of the kitsunes began to purr when Kuraime petted her back, arching into her hand much like a cat would. Yakushin smile grew right as Kuraime glanced up at him and the two shared a long joyful gaze at one other before Kuraime had to look away a little flushed at the heated gaze Yakushin was looking at her with. The gaze did not go unnoticed by Shinshi who tapped his brother on the shoulder with one of his tails.

"You haven't looked this happy since Nozomi-kun was born, in fact, I'd say that you are happier now than when you first learned how to take on a ningen form as if it were a natural state for you."

"She's more intelligent than any onna I've ever tricked, Kuraime-chan saw through my illusion when we first met yet she's unlike any other ningen I've ever talked to. Even though she knew that I was a kitsune, she still let me into her heart and I could nothing less than let her into my own and by the kami ototo," He let out a deep heavy sigh as Kuraime picked one of the kitsune in her lap up into her arms, scratching the young kitsune under the chin while listening to the gray kitsune and Nozomi speak. "No amount of sake made by ningen, yokai, or kitsune could make me say that it was the wrong decision to make. Even though I have told her my name, she has no intentions of ever using it against me, and has given me her word to Inari that she shall never use my name unless it is for the protection of our children."

"Onii-san, we both know that the chances of a male kitsune and a ningen onna having a child are very rare below the rank of kyuubi, not to mention that only yonbi's are able to fully change into a ningen," Yet Yakushin just turned to Shinshi and smiled, causing the younger kitsune to cock one of his eyebrows up. "There is something that you have not told me onii-san, something important that I should know but you are hiding from me."

"Inari-sama has given us his blessing and upon my name I have sworn to forever be faithful not just to Kuraime-chan, but that if ever a human child is born into our lineage, they will be granted kitsune-hood by my own paws."

"To do what Inari-sama has made you promise would mean that you would be given a human body to give your honsai children…" Shinshi's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Yakushin's smile grow even wider until it threatened to split his face in two. "For any kitsune to be given a human body by Inari-sama himself would mean that they have been given a title or rank suiting them…"

"You have always been smart as you are cunning and clever ototo, all that you have said is true, Inari-sama has indeed given me a human body in return for my allegiance. Strange as it may seem, I have no intentions of fooling any I have been told that I will be given the title Kyuubi no Youko in four centuries times by Kyuubi no Memari, and I am to meet up with my old friend Shukaku-kun next month to discuss some matter that we must attend to."

The two kitsunes became silent as they stopped talking to watch Yakushin and Nozomi talk to each other. One of the males announced the descent of the sun, reminding all present in the meadow that the day was drawing near to an end. Every one of the young kitsunes said their goodbyes to Nozomi and Kuraime including the ones that had slept in their laps, while the vixens and their mates bowed to the two before departing. Family by family they left until the only ones left were Taiyoume, her mate and their children, and the gray sanbi kitsune who bowed to Nozomi and Kuraime much more than the others had before walking over to Yakushin and Shinshi. He bowed to Yakushin first, then to Shinshi before turning back into his kitsune form and joining Taiyoume and her family. Speaking of the once arrogant vixen, Taiyoume gave a low bow to Kuraime along with an apology to both her as well as Nozomi, though Kuraime just shook her head and smiled.

"We aren't as different as we are raised to believe Taiyoume-san; I hope that we can become good friends in the future," The nibi vixen could do no more than nod in response before joining her family in departing, leaving only Yakushin, Shinshi, Kuraime, Nozomi, and the two yonbi in the meadow. Both yonbi transformed back into their kitsune form while Nozomi did the same, hopping up into Kuraime's arms then looking to her brothers. "It is time for us to go as well otto."

"Of course Kuraime-chan, though should we not stop by your parent's house to inform them of their in-laws?"

"I think the Uzu clan can do without the surprise koishii, though I do believe I have yet to meet my gibo Yakushin-chan."

The couple smiled at each other, all the while Shinshi nodded to the yonbi before they disappeared along with Yakushin, Nozomi, and Kuraime in three pillars of flames leaving Shinshi alone in the meadow. He looked around the meadow admiring the serenity and tranquility for a moment before he too was consumed by a pillar of blue flames, vanishing into thin air leaving no trace of having ever been in the meadow at all. No ningen, yokai, or rei would be able to tell that someone had not been in the meadow nor would they know of what had transpired that day.

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During the middle of the night, a small family of kitsunes passing by the meadow on their way back home from a good hunt paused a moment to sniff the air and turn to the meadow. Then one by one, each kitsune began to bow in reverence towards the meadow and give a quick prayer until the entire family including the young kits was bowing, before rising back up and continuing on their way to their den in silence. Halfway from the meadow to their den, one of the young kits nudged the gray kitsune amongst them and the old grandfather turned his head to the grandchild.

"Ojii-san, why did we all bow to the meadow?" The rest of the family nodded their heads in agreement while the grandfather patted the young kitsune on the head with one of his tails before continuing on. None of the kitsunes asked him again, and so they continued on in silence even after they had finally reached their den and began to enter. Some of the mothers picked up their younger children by the scruff of their neck, carrying them with them to bed while the older ones headed off themselves. But they were all stopped by the grandfather who leapt up into the small hole that led to his part of the den with all eight of his tails flowing behind him in a small gray waterfall.

"You asked me why we bowed to the meadow my child, and I did not answer you then for I did not want Inari-sama to be angry with me. For you see my child, that meadow has been blessed greatly by Inari-sama today and my old friend and his family that departed from our den today told me about that meadow, so now I tell you so that you may tell your children's children," All of the kitsunes waited with eager anticipation as the gray kitsune stood up tall on his hind legs in regal fashion before clearing his throat. The next words he spoke were burned into the minds of each kitsune who heard them, and would be burned into the children of those kitsunes as he instructed them to do. "There is a rokubi known by the ningen as Youko, but only one human knows of his true name and yet has done nothing with the power he has given her for the benefit of her clan. For she has become the bride of that rokubi, the daughter of the Uzu clan, Kitsune Kuraime no Uzu, wife of the future Kyuubi no Youko…"

* * *

Damn, when I get inspiration, I really, really get inspiration. This project took more time than I anticipated as I had to do more research than just looking up the japanese equivalent of certain words and stringing them together to make sense which I feel I often do when creating jutsus. Several sites which held important kitsune myths and information about them, especially when it came to the details on their powers especially transformation. I did my best to stick to the myths for the most part, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Thank you and please review!

Vocabulary:

ojiisan - grandfather/grandparent

Kuraime - crown eye

Yakushin - burning heart

Shinshi - true death

Memari - true sight

Nozomi - hope

Taiyoume - eye of the sun (roughly)

onna - woman

honsai - wife

nezumiiro - gray

Amatsu no Goken - Court of Heaven

Takama-ga-hare - High Heaven's Plain (where the kami are said to reside)

gimai - sister-in-law

gibo - mother-in-law


End file.
